Do You Know What Obama and Kennedy Have In Common?

For those who were born after the President John F. Kennedy‘s assassination 50 years ago, it might be hard to imagine just how heartbroken many Americans were over the tragedy. However, JFK was charismatic, and a president of firsts, much like Barack Obama. Kennedy was the nation’s first — and only — Catholic leader, while Obama is the first African American. Both men entered office on a wave of optimism while in their 40s. Journalist Byron Pitts noted the similarities on NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, as you will hear in the audio clip below.

“The same kind of energy, in some ways, that got young people excited about President Obama,” said Pitts, “is the same energy that was in the country for President Kennedy back in the 1960s.”